For these Olympics, he’s the head of the Olympic Athletes From Russia, the no-flag, neutral delegation of 168 athletes that the International Olympic Committee has allowed to compete. Forty-five more Russians are appealing their bans.

Pozdnyakov says that under the IOC ban ”the president and the general secretary for the Russian Olympic Committee are not able to participate in these Games, but (there’s) nothing about the vice president or other staff members.